Possible causes and consequences of hypertension in stable renal transplant patients

Previous epidemiologic studies of hypertension in renal transplant patients have produced contradictory results. Therefore, the incidence and clinical setting of chronic hypertension were examined in 201 stable renal transplant patients using a multivariate approach. Hypertension was present in 52.7% of patients at one year, and in 46.3% at the time of last follow-up, 5.0±1.9 years (mean ± SD) after transplantation. Among possible causative factors, discriminant analysis demonstrated that body weight, the presence of native kidneys, and variables linked to allograft function were most closely associated with hypertension at both one year and last follow-up. One year after transplantation, age, sex, pretransplant hypertensive nephrosclerosis, and diabetes were also independently associated with hypertension. However, renal function declined to a greater degree in hypertensive patients, and only body weight, the presence of native kidneys, and variables linked to allograft function were associated with hypertension at last follow-up. Results also demonstrated that hypertension was associated with elevated serum lipid levels and an increased likelihood of dying or returning to dialysis. Thus, these results suggested several important risk factors for hypertension and its consequences in renal transplant patients.